Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
Poem
February 12, 1912
The Fairmont West Virginian
Fairmont, Marion County, West Virginia
What is this article about?
Walt Mason's poem satirizes those who complain about winter's harshness, instead celebrating cold weather as a bracing tonic that promotes health, energy, and joy, contrasting it with warm, languid climates.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
Walt Mason
THE POET PHILOSOPHER
REAL WINTER.
The backbone of winter is often decried
by people who huddle around the fireside;
whenever old Boreas kicks up his heels
they send up a package of lachrymose spiels
and sigh for a country where snow isn't found,
where roses and uhes will bloom the year round.
But I love a country with all kinds of snows,
where winter has whiskers clear down to his toes,
where blizzards cavort and the icicles cling
all over your features till thawed in the spring.
For cold is a tonic that braces you up
and makes you as gay as an unlicensed pup:
it fills you with ardor to do hefty things;
the healthy man likes it and dances and sings.
A wind whooping down from the white Greenland hills
is better than anyone's cottonwood pills,
while languorous zephyrs will fill you with bile
and make it hard labor to burble and smile.
There's energy, health and a solace in cold!
The backbone of winter is better than gold!
THE POET PHILOSOPHER
REAL WINTER.
The backbone of winter is often decried
by people who huddle around the fireside;
whenever old Boreas kicks up his heels
they send up a package of lachrymose spiels
and sigh for a country where snow isn't found,
where roses and uhes will bloom the year round.
But I love a country with all kinds of snows,
where winter has whiskers clear down to his toes,
where blizzards cavort and the icicles cling
all over your features till thawed in the spring.
For cold is a tonic that braces you up
and makes you as gay as an unlicensed pup:
it fills you with ardor to do hefty things;
the healthy man likes it and dances and sings.
A wind whooping down from the white Greenland hills
is better than anyone's cottonwood pills,
while languorous zephyrs will fill you with bile
and make it hard labor to burble and smile.
There's energy, health and a solace in cold!
The backbone of winter is better than gold!
What sub-type of article is it?
Satire
Ode
What themes does it cover?
Nature Seasons
Satire Society
What keywords are associated?
Winter
Cold
Blizzard
Health
Satire
Boreas
Greenland
What entities or persons were involved?
Walt Mason The Poet Philosopher
Poem Details
Title
Real Winter
Author
Walt Mason The Poet Philosopher
Form / Style
Rhymed Couplets
Key Lines
But I Love A Country With All Kinds Of Snows, Where Winter Has Whiskers Clear Down To His Toes,
For Cold Is A Tonic That Braces You Up And Makes You As Gay As An Unlicensed Pup:
There's Energy, Health And A Solace In Cold! The Backbone Of Winter Is Better Than Gold!